Who doesn’t know the kangaroos, Endemic animals that belongs to Australian. Did you know that kangaroos have close relatives that are similar but in a smaller size? – Let’s find out what it is.
Known as Pademelon Wallaby or Dusky Wallaby (Thylogale brunii), they are species of marsupial to family Macropodidae. The name pademelon, is derive from an aboriginal or native Australian term for ‘small kangaroo from the forest’. This species is in the same family as kangaroos, but much more smaller.
Both like to keep their baby in their pouch, they are native to Australia, the islands of Aru and Kai, New Guinea and also can be found in Papua, Indonesia. Their natural habitat is in the subtropical or tropical dry forests and can be found in dry lowland grasslands. It’s because there are many sources of food for wallabies such as young leaves and grass.
The dusky wallaby are small, stocky with short hind legs and small noses. This animal has a head and body size between 29-67cm with a tail length up to 25-51cm. Male dusky wallabies weigh can reach up to 18kg and the female wallabies can reach up to 5-9kg.
The mother dusky wallaby has a gestation period for 30 days and give birth to one cub. After 30 days, a pink wallaby will be born and cannot see yet. The baby wallaby will crouch to their mother’s pouch and he will continue to grow about six months of age.
IUCN STATUS
According to IUCN Redlist, they are include in the list of vulnerable animals. This animals are hunted for consumption and are starting to lose their natural habitat.
In conservation place such as Bali Safari Park, the Dusky wallaby can live up to 10 years. You can witness this animal with your own eyes up close at our Petting Zoo area.
